Nutrition/Food

Access to Healthy Food

Visit this link for a comprehensive calendar of neighborhood food distributions as well as a list of local pantries and meals that are open to the public from the SLO County Food Bank.

Neighborhood Food Distributions are located in countywide communities. No income documentation or identification is required for these distributions. Participants receive both shelf stable pantry food and fresh produce.

Enroll for CalFresh Benefits

The link below has information about applying online, eligibility, and the verifications needed to apply for CalFresh Food Assistance. Visit this SLO County Department of Social Services webpage, https://www.slocounty.ca.gov/Departments/Social-Services/CalFresh/Services/CalFresh-Food-Assistance.aspx

Nutrition Tips

What Size is Your Plate?

We learned this startling fact: dinner plates have grown in size over the last century by 3 inches, holding double the amount of food!

Want to help your family control how much food they eat? Use your salad plates as dinner plates. Pass this tip on to the families you work with, as well.

Wellness Education

Rethink Your Drink

Did you know? 1 in 3 of our preschoolers are overweight/obese. Here's how you can help.

1. Rethink the drink. Are you concerned about a child whose weight may be unhealthy? First, ask permission ("is it ok to talk a little about your child's health?"). If a family is under a lot of stress and you can only make one suggestion, make it this:
Water, not soda.
Even if a child can just cut back on soda consumption rather than stopping completely, it will make a difference. A typical 20 ounce soda contains 17 teaspoons of sugar. Contact the Health Promotion Division, SLO County Public Health, at 805-781-5564 for free Rethink Your Drink materials for educators and presentations for parents.

2. Give simple, realistic advice. Parents can help their children by working on these five family behaviors:

Get up and play actively at least one hour a day.

Cut back on screen time to under 2 hours per day (no screen time for children under two). 
Eat at least 5 helpings of fruits and vegetables a day (frozen and canned are fine, no sugar added).
Eat a healthy breakfast daily.  
Eat less fast food - cut back on the number of meals each week and/or the portion size.

3. Use gentle wording. Be mindful that words like overweight and fat are difficult for parents and children to hear. Stick with words that focus on health, not appearance, and are appropriate to children:

Instead of:
"Overweight," "fat," "chubby," "heavy," "obese"
"Ideal weight," "normal"
"Diet" or "bad food"
"Exercise"
Talking about focusing on weight
Talking about fixing the child

Replace with:
"Unhealthy weight"
"Healthy weight"
"Healthier food choices"
"Activity" or "play"
Talking about focusing on lifestyle.
Talking about changing family behaviors.

During warm weather, holidays and special occasions, it's a good time to remind everyone to Rethink Your Drink. Instead of reaching for the sodas and diet drinks, try water, bubbly water, unsweetened iced teas, or make your own spa water.

Here's a compelling poster you can download and share with your families to explain how much sugar different drinks contain. Download this poster in English and Spanish here.

Need Help?

Contact an advocate or staff member at a Family Resource Center for support with non-medical needs such as food, clothing, shelter, parent education and navigating social services. A full listing of Family Resource Centers in San Luis Obispo County can be found here:
https://sloparents.org/slo-frc-directory/

Concerned about a child's development?

SLO County Help Me Grow (SLO HMG) provides support with developmental screenings, identifying resources, and child development information for the families you serve. Services are free for any child ages birth through 5 years old who is a SLO County resident. Call 805-440-1878 or visit
https://slohelpmegrow.org/